Orbiting the giant hairball
by Gordon MacKenzie · first published 1998
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100% recommend
"Gordon MacKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, where he inspired his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit - to a mode of dreaming, daring, and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius. He teaches how to emerge from the "giant hairball"--That tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, and systems, based on what worked in the past and which can lead to mediocrity in the present."--Jacket.
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Orbiting the Giant Hairball (1998) was a great guide to being creative in a world structured to squash creativity: http://www.amazon.com/Orbiting-Giant-Hairball-Corporate-Surv... Hugh McLeod's How to Be Creative manifesto (2004)…
on “So I need to be sad, bored and happy to be creative” ↗Orbiting the Giant Hairball (Gordon MacKenzie). I gave my copy to someone, and never got it back, but would love to read it again. Not one thing in particular stuck, but the book as a whole provided some interesting insights on…
on “Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?” ↗There’s a book called Orbiting the Giant Hairball which might help reframe the relationship between you and your employer. The kind of experience you’re looking for is exceedingly rare, to the point where it’s detrimental to search for it. If you’re…
on “Ask HN: Tired of being a software engineer, what next?” ↗Most people trying to be creative in the business world should read Orbiting the Giant Hairball. It’ll get you going.
on “You're not lacking creativity, you're overwhelmed” ↗Read “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” and see if it resonates.
on “Ask HN: New job at BigCo. Everything has friction” ↗